A conventional vehicle door for ingress and egress with the vehicle's passenger compartment is hinged at one end (e.g., the forward end). At the other end (e.g., at the rearward end), a latch assembly is provided for selectively latching and locking onto a striker provided on the vehicle body for securing and locking the vehicle door. The area of the door at which the latch assembly is provided (i.e., latch area) typically can receive increased stresses over the life of the vehicle. Often, local “patches” or reinforcements are applied to the door structure at this latch area in order to reinforce the latch area for purposes of durability, reliability, and ultimate strength of the latch mounting area. These patches are typically formed of stamped steel or aluminum of various thicknesses. The typical latch area patch primarily functions to locally reinforce the latch mating surface of the door structure.